North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Jwlehman@aol.com]

Hello Karen, etl.
 
This article was published in Pomona about 1993. To induce fruiting the cut 
 would be made below the branch. See diagram #2 below. I've sent this 
before as  an attachment but ibibilo blocked the attachment and blocked me 
from 
sending any  messages thereafter. Our administrator has me turned on again.
 
                                          USING CUTS TO INFLUENCE FRUIT  
TREES
Jerry Lehman, 7780 Persimmon St. Terre Haute, IN 47802-4994
 
One of the places visited while on the 1991 NAFEX trip to Russia was the  
botanical gardens at Kiev. There we saw a lot of work being done with form  
gardening or espalier. Dr. Ivan M. Shaitan took us through the gardens and  
explained what we were seeing. He gave us copies of a book he had written  
titled, Beautiful Gardens that Bear. Professor Elena Merenova Who teaches the 
 
Russian language at a local college contributed by doing the direct 
translation.  Elena is an educator not a horticulturist, which made 
translating 
this subject  matter challenging for us. If there is sufficient interest 
within 
NAFEX members  we would be willing to translate more of Dr. Shaitan's book.
 
 
Dr. Shaitan wrote: In form gardening we often need to fill empty space in  
the tree being formed. The following methods can be used.

CROSSWISE CUTS are made above the buds in order to  increase their 
vegetative growth. Cut a strip of bark (3-4 mm) with the wood. If  the cut is 
done 
under the bud it will prevent it from forming a vegetative  shoot. A cut 
under a strong branch will weaken its growth. We recommend to make  the cuts 
at 
the end of March or at the beginning of April.  [Kiev is at about the same 
latitude as Regina, Saskatchewan,  with a slightly more moderate climate 
according to my atlas--GW, Pomona  Editor]

GROOVlNG CUTS
can be used to increase the growth in thickness  of trunk and skeleton 
branches. Make longitudinal cuts with the help of an  orchard knife, also 
remove 
some sap-wood with the bark. On the place of the cut,  new tissues will 
appear and this part will become thicker. This type of cutting  is made in a 
faltering line.
Grooving cuts could be used also to treat  wounds, tumor growths or 
mechanical damage of the bark. In such cases the cuts  are made approximately 
10 cm 
(4 inches) above the wounds and end below the  wound.
Grooving cuts should be done in the beginning of the vegetative period  
from the northem (shadow) side of the tree. Do not use this method on the old 
 
trees with broken bark, which grow slowly. 

CIRCULAR CUTS of the bark are recommended for strong  growing branches in 
order to turn them into fruiting limbs. The accumulation of  plastic 
substances [sugars?] (assimilants) results in the forming of flower,  buds, 
In case 
of the presence of pollinated flowers the fruits become bigger and  are 
ripened earlier. Circular cuts are also used in the formation of palmates on  
strong central bearers which have overgrown the height of the formation of 
the 
 next layer.

With the help of the orchard knife or special secateurs which can take  a 
part of the wood along with the bark, remove the bark (4-8 mm wide [0.25 
inch,  more or less]) in the form of a circle or spiral cut. This operation 
is 
usually  done in Mayor in 20 to 30 days after total blossoming of the trees 
to favor the  making of flower buds. The wounds from circular cuts heal up 
(close) in one to  two years. To improve this process you can cover them with 
grafting wax.